General Interesting Cards at High Power Levels

[Karn Cuberated]

I think, it's time to get a fresh breath of air and introduce some new (possibly old) cards into my list, potentially going off the beaten path to some extent. I know at high power level there's a smaller variety of cubeable stuff than you could meet at lower power, and sometimes it seems that there's no possibility to discover something new in this realm. But I'll try nonetheless!
The word "interesting", no doubt, has different meanings for different people, and, unfortunately, describing it wholly can be problematic at times, since there's a lot of spicy things magic cards can do that amuse (and amaze) me, so instead I'll make some examples to show you what appeals to me. But you, guys, may feel free to post the stuff that meets your standards of interesting at high power. It will be even better if a card will be an unnoticed brilliant.

Spoiler

Meren of Clan Nel Toth - a Gravedigger with some potential to become a ticket to the #Walue-town, and it even doesn't die to Lightning Bolt. The downside is the card is going to, perhaps, make the Golgari section more restricting as for the strategy you should choose if you want to play it.
Gitrog Monster - a big 5cmc butt with some synergy potential. How much cards that return lands from GY are needed to support it, though? I already have Crucible of Worlds and Wrenn and Six, do I have to include Ramunap Excavator in addition to them?
Mitotic Slime - I view it as a potential replacement for Vorapede, occupying the 5cmc Birthing Pod slot. But I doubt I've seen any list that includes slimey, and almost no one seems to even talk about it. Does it underperform that much?
Doran, the Siege Tower - I'm looking forward to hear for you, guys, what's your experience with the card? On paper, at least, it seems to diversify the gameplay in some way, and even if not all of your creatures get better thanks to his effect (say, your deck mostly consists of X/X bodies), it is still a t3 virtual 5/5 beat-stick which rewards you for drafting good fixing The question is how desirable the card will be for player's.
Sulfuric Vortex - old as hell, but I've never played with it. Is Vortex that much unfun as some people say?
Abyssal Persecutor - fits both into Aggro and Midrange, rewarding both for playing sacrifice shenanigans. Or tons of removal, I guess? I've heard some people have ended up with some crazy boardstates while scouring their deck for sth to get rid of the demon thanks to its ability to allow negative life totals.
Bribery - introduces some variety to the game, I guess. Similar to cascade on Bloodbraid Elf and Shardless Agent.
Nightveil Specter (Thief of Sanity?) - similar to Bribery in that there's always some randomness in what the top of your opponent's libraby shows you. Though, Specter (or Thief) shows you much less cards, hence the question: doesn't this drawback prevent him from being a good card?
Armageddon - it could be a new effect for me and my crew, which already makes the card curious. Armageddon is peculiar in that it gives aggro decks another angle of attack. Though, I don't know what I replace it with in a 360-card list. There is no card in my White section I could dump for it. Is it time to broaden the list up to 450 or 540 (the question many of these cards make me think of, in fact)?
Niv-Mizzet, Parun - a bunch of triggers is delightful.
Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker - similar to Niv-Mizzet: a handful of powerful effects available.
Temporal Mastery - The fact that it is a fair version of Time Walk (which I wouldn't play in its "full" version even despite my great love for powerful cards) that you have to build around makes the spell interesting for me. And the art is just fascinating.
Rite of Replication - Is there a place for it in high power cubes? Is it fun? At what size could it be playable, if at all?
Mindslaver? If yes, should I also include Academy Ruins into Utility Land Draft list?

For some reason Armageddon is the only card in white that drew my attention (well, there's also it's twin brother Ravages of War).

 

[shamizy]

I think I might have something to offer here having run a pretty high powered cube for many years now. I've tried out a good number of cards on this list in cube, and many of them in EDH, so I've got some experience with their gameplay potential and limitations.



This is the quintessential Golgari card. It does everything you'd ever want to do grinding away in those colors by allowing you to win games of attrition with that Gravedigger effect. I can't think of a better poster child for B/G midrange decks. The only issue I have with it is the experience counters. From experience running with a commander deck for a short while and giving it a good run in cube, once you accumulate a certain number of counters and there isn't an answer it's just inevitability with Meren looping ETBs. I think that mechanic is awful and completely inconvenient to track. Much like energy, after giving it a short run I ended up just cutting all those cards because I don't like introducing new resources into a game if they just further complicate games.

I don't make edits to existing cards or play with customs in games so I just had to cut her entirely after a while. If you're more open to it, I'd say editing out the experience counters is all you need. At its core it's a 3/4 Gravedigger that will Regrowth you back one creature card every turn. Excellent card overall.



This card is incredible. Even if you don't manage to pick up a Crucible of Worlds type effect in draft, the ability to churn through your deck on a sizeable 6/6 with Deathtouch that people do not want to rumble with is just great. Every fetch draws you a card, every time you loot away or discard a land you draw a card, and it's just very easy to maximize synergies with such a flexible trigger. If you aren't able to quickly rebuild your land base, the race against the clock to push through damage as it eats away your own mana base is also a fun little subgame for both sides to navigate. Pairs extremely well with cards that let you peek at the top of your library to dig even deeper ala Courser of Kruphix. I think Ramunap Excavator is well worth playing in any cube that deploys fetches, manlands, and other lands that might end up in the graveyard through natural means.

I think this card should be run in almost every cube that has a BG section. There are very few cards that are as interesting a buildaround. Slots equally well in higher powered cubes and those that are looking to develop synergistic archetypes. It will always have a home in my cube.



This gets the job done in aggressive decks, but it's just not a fun or interesting card to play with. This will always wheel to the R/X aggro deck since almost no other decks really want this effect, being an enchantment makes it more difficult to interact with, and it's not really an elegant solution to the problem with Aggro in cube. It was a go-to years back and still holds up well in most cubes, but there are just so many interesting options and ways to build an aggressive archetype that weren't available years back. What Aggro needs are ways to adapt their gameplan and open up multiple different avenues to winning a game, that's how you create an archetype that has depth and compelling gameplay. Sulfuric Vortex does the complete opposite of that by dumbing down the game to a damage race.

If you're looking for pure efficiency it'll get it done, but games aren't going to be very interesting.



This is more cute than good nowadays, though that subgame of getting ride of the Persecutor was pretty fun 5-6 years back. The problem back then was with non R/x aggressive decks lacking the means to close out games and maximize their damage window before the other side stabilized. This was a great option that outpaced removal and gave you a quick clock if it was left uncontested. I think the problem it faces nowadays in higher powered cubes is that it isn't efficient enough going against the value fest pinata or against more efficient removal options. There was a time when the flexibility Hero's Downfall blew our minds but now we get a new variant or something on par every other set, with upside! I also think that there are just better aggressive options now that pair better with existing strategies you might already be deploying. Stuff like Rotting Regisaur hits like a truck while also fueling potential discard themes and opening up Gravecrawler loops. Spawn of Mayhem is also a great option for those looking to really beef up their B/x Aggro decks specifically.

This isn't a bad card by any means, but there are more interesting options available to work with that contribute to other archetypes. On its own it's fine, but it mostly exists in its own weird vacuum by itself.



These will not do what you think they will. I've gotten into a handful of arguments with people about this, but I'm 100% convinced that these options do NOT lead to good gameplay at all because they are trivially easy to exploit in a format like cube. I love playing them in EDH and they are part of the core strategy of winning with my Karametra deck, but as nice of an equalizer as MLD is in a multiplayer format, it's equally as fun-crushing in Cube. The core of Cube in a higher powered environment is all about efficiency and developing your board of resources and threats; you're not likely to be sandbagging lands until it's super late in the game and you no longer need them. Once you deploy these cards, if you have any sort of advantage on board that they can't readily deal with, you're just going to run away with the game. That can be as simple as curving out with one-two-three drops into this or sticking some continual resource generator like a planewalker. Hell, something like Nissa, Voice of Zendikar would just let you clog up the board and build up loyalty until you re-stabilized the board. MLD can be self-correcting in multiplayer with it shifting into an archenemy scenario, but there's no such check in 1v1 Magic.

Much like Sulfuric Vortex, I see MLD as an inelegant solution for Aggro. It's taking a jackhammer to a project that needs the finer details polished up. Give it a try if you want, but don't be surprised if the opponent ends up having a really bad time.



Just gonna group these together since they're similar as higher cmc cards that can flip games, but are difficult to actually deploy. Colored mana requirements are steep and often times, with a plethora of efficient removal and other answers, they usually aren't worth it. If you can deploy them cleanly then you're in a good position to maximize their effects and win, but just getting there might be incredibly difficult. Niv is a great card and I've seen some wild sequences arise from a spellslinger deck going off, but it's just so damn hard to actually get those exact requirements in a game. Ultimatum is one of my favorite spells, but it's really showing its age compared to options that are available nowadays. It's just not worth the effort when you can get high impact cards at lower mana costs with a lesser color restriction. They may not have the same level of immediate impact, but the reliability of actually being able to cast those versus these three is a dealbreaker.

 

[Zoss]

I hear you say that you're having trouble finding interesting cards in White--let's change that! I think you might have luck trying the "Looking for a Card" thread, where other people have asked a similar question recently. I posted the following in response:

Spoiler

[F]or overlooked White cards, I've always loved the following, though I'm really not sure how many would be a good fit for your particular cube-style. Some of them are bad, but they're definitely not boring!

[/spoiler]

Other gems that aren't quite as obscure are these:





And finally, if you're not afraid of silver border and having a gross time with rules . . .

 

[Humpty_Dumpty]

Cards that are/were in my cube:
Sulfuric Vortex - Is it unfun? That depends on your view of red-heavy aggro. In a high power cube it gives inevitability and diversity to these decks as a repeating source of damage that is not a creature. Midrange and control can sometimes buy time with incidental lifegain, and that is shut down as well. Bad if you want most of your games to be longer and interactive, this is a card that I would pick early and would push me into red-based aggro in even a powered cube.
Bribery - this was initially very powerful in my cube when matches would often come down to who could play and stick a heavy hitter. Now it is more matchup dependent: resolve this against reanimated and you’re laughing; against aggro you may have to satisfy yourself with something smaller. The tutor effect is often surprisingly good to get an answer from your opponent’s toolbox, and the knowledge of what is in their deck shouldn’t be underestimated.
Armageddon - like Sulfuric Vortex, this is a high pick where aggro is supported, though this time in white. If dropped on curve it prevents your opponent from reaching the mid or late game. Again, whether this is fun depends on your point of view.
Temporal Mastery - I find this to be an infuriating card. At full cost it is not worth it; putting in some work to get the miracle cost is quite nice; and simply top decking this mid to late game feels unfair. The trouble is that the first and last scenarios occur far too often.
Rite of Replication - at four mana this is very fair. Kicked it can win the game, as it should do for nine mana, though can still be underwhelming if there is nothing good on the battlefield. If blue/green ramp is a thing in your cube or games often go long.
Mindslaver - stealing your opponent’s turn appeals to the griefer in all of us, but is rarely as powerful as you might want it to be for ten mana, albeit split over two turns. Of course any sort of recursion will be game over, but your opponent will probably just concede, which can feel anticlimactic.

Some other suggestions:
Parallax Wave - this can be a strong effect, but requires a bit of skill to use well. It’s flexible, acting as temporary removal against opponents creatures, protection or abuse of ETB effects on your own creatures, and can be a one sided Wrath if removed with it’s ability on the stack.
Gifts Ungiven - this requires redundancy of graveyard effects in both the draft and your deck, but the I-split-you-choose is such a fun mechanism, and I’m often surprised how often there is hidden information making the obvious split incorrect. Fact or Fiction I find fun for the same reason, but is more obviously powerful in terms of raw card advantage.
Living Death - a card that turns games around like no other, but requires a bit of setting up to be really powerful.
Sneak Attack - in a cube with lots of Eldrazi and other ridiculous super-fatties this can be just an unfun way to win the game, but if used more for value - playing surprise blockers or ETB effects at instant speed - can be more entertaining. When my opponent has a Sneak Attack in play and red mana open almost anything could happen.
The First Iroan Games - it fits into two of my green archetypes (tokens and +1/+1), draws cards, gives a medal and tells a story. What more could you ask from a card? It’s not the most powerful of cards, but is a neat pivot card and so flavourful.

 

[Karn Cuberated]

Colored mana requirements are steep and often times, with a plethora of efficient removal and other answers, they usually aren't worth it. If you can deploy them cleanly then you're in a good position to maximize their effects and win, but just getting there might be incredibly difficult.

In our cube we have introduced a little different system of rules applied to fixing lands (at the end of the draft you get the additional amount of fetches and fast-lands depending on the number of land cards you picked during drafting the cube itself), plus the're some in the ULD section, so, I think, I might be able to handle those strict mana costs, and I'm tempted to try!

As for Zoss's offer:
I wanted to try Mirror Entity when I was looking for some cards to boost my tokens decks, but I've heard some people saying it's a little degenerate since you just win next turn if you set a good board presence with tokens, activate Entity's ability and swing for damage (and if the Entity survives, of course).
Parallax Wave - I'm pretty much interested!
Porphyry Nodes - same! Does it act as a repeatable removal spell, or it's better to look at it as at some kind of a Stax-enabler?
Brightling - seems neat, but at 360 it's outclassed by a pretty steady set of 3cmc creatures, as well as Gideon Blackblade I was going to test earlier this year.
Force of Virtue - I was about to add this to my list also, but between it and Ajani Goldmane I chose the latter. I might really want to make my list bigger for all these cards.

Living Death - a card that turns games around like no other, but requires a bit of setting up to be really powerful.
Sneak Attack - in a cube with lots of Eldrazi and other ridiculous super-fatties this can be just an unfun way to win the game, but if used more for value - playing surprise blockers or ETB effects at instant speed - can be more entertaining. When my opponent has a Sneak Attack in play and red mana open almost anything could happen.

Living Death looks amazing, but I don't run the reanimator package (maybe, I will, though, when/if I broaden my list). Does it have any use outside of this strategy? Reanimating a bunch of ETB's could be gross, but that, probably, requires running some mill cards, like Mulch, Ransack the Lab, and Commune with the Gods?
And Sneak Attack is already in along with Through the Breach, and I'm satisfied with it despite running out an Eldrazi(/Dragonlord Atarka) is its primary use

 

[Zoss]

Mirror Entity is a haymaker, no two ways about it. However, I think of it as being like a telegraphed and therefore beefier Inspired Charge. Sure, it wins games, but it's slower than the Charge until you hit 5 mana, which is nontrivial in aggro decks. Also, it can definitely shrink creatures. ALSO also, how many lands does aggro have when it typically wins in your cube? 4? 5? 6? It's definitely powerful and it can ABSOLUTELY be a feelsbad moment due to staring it down across the table with nothing to do, but it fails the Vindicate test until you're at turn 5 at least. Games have to end some time, you know? Also, if you think about it, it's kind of like Dictate of Heliod, which I'd argue is decidedly NOT overpowered. So I'd recommend giving it a try!

(Also, if you run aristocrats, it has a secret mode of "sacrifice all your creatures at instant speed," which can lead to some very cute wins.)



A common misconception I see is that Stax cards like Porphyry Nodes belong solely in dedicated Stax decks. A level-up moment for me was when I realized that Stax is the common ground between aggro and control, as both archetypes actively like these restriction effects whereas midrange decidedly does not. Even if you're not fully tying up your opponent, forcing them to carry a 20-pound weight will definitely help you win the race, either by letting you get in that last bit of damage or by slowing them down long enough for your engine to take off. By cutting out the midpoint of power curves, you take away the section of the game in which midrange is comparatively strongest against both aggro and control. A bonus is that the Nodes are a 'classical' Stax card like Winter Orb in that playing it will sometimes lose you the game, and for me that's key to making Stax enjoyable for both Hero and Villain.

 

[Erik Twice]

Sulfuric Vortex is a no-brainer that goes into just one archetype and makes a large amount of decks unviable. Really, it doesn't matter how you stabilize to use Life from the Loam, if I play Vortex there's a very narrow window for you to win or it will kill you. It's not necessary to make aggro better and will make your games worse.

Armageddon is another no-brainer that will win the game when its cast. Like Vortex, it makes a large amount of decks unviable. After all, the only defense against it is to counter it or discard it. It has utility with land recursion and other effects but it's just a big dumb card that wins games on the spot.

Bribery's power depends heavily on your cube. The more fair it is, the less powerful it becomes. I dislike it because in a fair cube it's pretty much a hate card. It's useless against aggro but can trounce reanimator and other similar decks.

I love Mindslaver and it's a fun, strong card without the need for recursion. Academy Ruins might be interesting on their own, but there's nothing interesting about both cards put together.


I really recommend Parallax Wave. It's a superversatile card that can be played in control, midrange, aggro and all sort of decks. You can use it as big blink, temporary removal or fog. Do note that it's a one-sided wrath with a disenchant effect, though it doesn't come up very often and rarely does so in a game-breaking manner.